Smartwatch pioneer Pebble continues to take the fight to the tech behemoths with a handy, fitness-focused firmware update for 2015’s Pebble Time range.
The Pebble Health app, which enables users to track steps, distance, active minutes and sleep, has been boosted by greater accuracy and the ability to see step counts in kilometres.
Additionally, owners will soon be seeing their fitness stats on custom watch faces from developers thanks to a new version of the Pebble API.
In a post on the official blog Community Manager Joseph Christopher wrote: “Apps and watchfaces featuring Pebble Health stats are now possible, thanks to a new API released today. Starting with Stride (pictured above), Health-enabled watchfaces will be live soon on the Pebble appstore.”
The first such watch face, Stride, is pictured above.
See also: Pebble Time vs Apple Watch
Elsewhere there are plenty of other noteworthy updates within the new firmware.
Pebble has improved messaging by offering up default (canned) message replies like “YASSS” and and “Aight, dope!” and other annoying utterances.
Thankfully, if you’re pairing your Pebble Time with an iOS device, you’ll also be able to customise these messages to something a little more palatable.
Android users can also reply to a missed or rejected call with an SMS, emoji or a voice memo.
Both the iOS and Android apps can be updated today.
Finally, the Pebble Time will now benefit from a watch-only mode, which will enable users to keep the device running as a watch when the battery is critically low.
(apester:56659392e54569dc7fc4d509)
Will these updates encourage you to pick up a Pebble? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.